# Congressional apportionament question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congressional-apportionament-question/640623
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [November 10, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congressional-apportionament-question/640623 "2012-11-10T21:44:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congressional-apportionament-question/640623/1 "2012-11-10T21:44:34Z")
Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=671675).
Is there any requirement that a state divide itself into as many approximately equal districts as it has seats in the House? Could a state with two or three seats elect two or three at-large representatives? Could New York divide itself into eight districts and distribute 29 House seats among them by population?
---
### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congressional-apportionament-question/640623/2 "2012-11-10T21:46:32Z")
[Federal law](http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/2c) currently requires single-member districts. Before that, even larger states would occasionally have an at-large representative or two.
---
### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congressional-apportionament-question/640623/3 "2012-11-10T22:03:59Z")
Didn’t NYS have to elect all of it’s Congressional reps at-large one year because the legislature couldn’t agree on new electoral districts?